Harry Potter and the Essence of Fate
by mufasasimba
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to finish out their last year at Hogwarts, and are joined by many of their classmates whose final year was robbed from them.In the end, an unexpected ally shows Harry the present isn't what it may seem-it can always change.
1. Chapter 1: A Twist in fate

The empty halls echoed with the sound of Harry's solitary footsteps. Everything was really different now, and he realized it with every torn canvas and broken statue on his way up to Gryffindor tower. Just like these halls, it was familiar but different. There were things to be mended and changed, but hidden among the rubble was hope of a better time.

Just as the portrait and suits of armor would be cleaned and fixed to perfection as the day they were made, the future could be healed the same way, so the quick fixes were smoothed out and made permanent, But Harry could not ignore the fact that there would also be the holes in the world, like those made by Fred, Lupin, Tonks, even Hedwig!

The same but different. New prospects, but the old ones still lurking. He could live with that.

Chunks of the stairs had been blasted away by spells, leaving gaping holes that Harry dodged and jumped over. Splinters were strewn across everything, and blood smeared the walls. Harry shuddered and whispered under his breath- "Scourgify"

When Harry reached the common room, the portrait hole was hanging open, the fat lady gone off somewhere to celebrate with the rest of the inhabitants of the castle. But now there was no one to fear might break into the common room to sabotage the Gryffindors. No one who might lurk inside, waiting for his or her chance to kill the boy-who-lived. He still closed the entrance behind him, then turned to face the common room.

Here, the stairs were clean and complete, no holes or dirt. The chairs were cozy looking, worn and faded. The fire was now out, having not been lit since the previous night. The portraits were all empty, their subjects gone about just as the fat lady had. There was even some half finished homework some like minded Gryffindor had left on a table as the student decided to go to sleep- or had they decided to go to battle? He stopped himself short of his next thought and turned towards the boys dormitory door.

He pulled open the wooden door and climbed the stairs slowly, looking out every window he passed at the grounds. The land was destroyed, giant footstep sunken deep into the mud, and trees fallen on the Quidditch stadium. He could only imagine that this was going to take a while to clean. Then he remembered something- he could do magic. It was strange that he'd forgotten, but with the loss of half the people he loved, even some of the most basic things about his life had been forgotten. Funny how when you think you're losing your humanity that it comes back to you.

How quickly he had forgotten! He had used magic minutes before, yet the feeling he got when he used magic had already left him! Harry pulled the Phoenix feather wand from his pocket and mumbled some spells out the window. The land rose up a bit and smoothed out, and the trees righted themselves. But just for the moment; they would have to be taken away. When something died, there was no way it could really come back, as Harry knew all too well.

Finally, he reached the top of the tower. The room was plain and bare, nothing personal hanging on the walls. Apparently, Seamus didn't sleep here. No one did. Even Neville's things were gone, probably stolen back in the night and brought to the room of requirement. Harry's four poster bed was neat, but dust had settled on the top of it and the other beds. The house elves didn't clean in here anymore, what was the point?

"Scourgify" Harry said, and the dust disappeared from his bed. He sat down slowly, his fingers trailing over the soft blanket on top. The springs, unused for a year, creaked softly under his weight. The room was lit only by the light of a half moon that filtered through the window, pure white. There was silence except for the wind outside and the gentle sounds if the waves of the lake splashing on shore.

"Kreacher?" He whispered to the darkness, and with a crack the gentleness of the night disappeared. The elf was a bloody, and a cut ran across his cheek from nose to ear. He was in good spirits though, and ran to his master.

"Master Harry! Oh, how can Kreacher help you?" The elf said, bowing so low his nose tickled the stone floor. Harry smiled at Kreacher.

"Er, I was wondering if you could bring me a sandwich actually. Maybe a few, with a nice-"

"Glass of pumpkin juice? Of course, anything master Harry! Kreacher will be back!" Then He disappeared with a loud pop. Harry chuckled to himself. Sirius would have never believed Harry that Kreacher had turned to liking anyone but death eaters! He swung his legs up onto the bed and rolled over so his face was buried in the pillow.

He woke up what seemed like seconds later.

"Kreacher?" He said. It was earlier than he expected him back.

"what? No Harry, it's Ginny." Her voice reached across the room from the doorway. He could see her framed there now. The creak the door made when she opened it must have been what woke him up. He heard her footsteps cross the floor towards him, then they stopped right in front of him.

"Can I sit down?" She asked him quietly. He sat up straight.

"Oh, of course, yeah." He lit his wand so he could see her face. There were tear tracks winding past the dirt and blood that covered her pretty face, and Harry wrapped his arms around her small frame.

"I'm so sorry Ginny. I never imagined Fred…" He trailed off in the middle of his sentence. It would be a while before he or anyone could talk about those they had lost. She put her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder.

"It's okay Harry. Fred was just like Sirius…he would rather die fighting than anything else. And he would want us to be laughing, always laughing. I'm no stranger to loss anyway Harry, remember? We've been through a lot together." She mumbled into his shirt. Ginny was so strong, yet he could feel her fresh tears soaking through his t-shirt. "Plus, how could I be sad at a time like this? There will be plenty of time for mourning later Harry. We'll definitely need all that time, but now is the happiest moment in the world in 16 years. And it's all because of you."

Harry smiled. Of course it came back to him being a hero, it might always do so. But he knew full well, that it was just another lucky twist of fate. Just like he had found out 2 years ago that it could have been Neville who had to face this, he knew that if the littlest thing had gone differently, the world would have been in the worst position possible- with Voldemort as its ruler.

Harry looked down at Fabien Prewett's old watch. It was one thirty in the morning, hours past when he had come up here.

"All I want to know is where Kreacher is…he's been gone hours." Harry sighed. Ginny laughed a bit.

"Oh…well I saw him downstairs getting some food. I told him he should take it easy. He's been through quite a bit recently. I said I would get you something to eat. I might have forgotten though…." She looked up at Harry, an apologetic smile on her face. "I could go get you something now, If you'd like." Harry shook his head.

"I am a wizard you know."

"What about Grumps elemental law thing?" Ginny asked. "You can't create food. Only summon it if you know where some is."

"Firstly, It's GAMP, and secondly, Hermione and I thought you might be a bit hungry." Ron strode into the room, carrying a plate piled high with sandwiches. Hermione followed close behind with a pitcher of pumpkin juice. She casually flicked her wand at the darkened grate and flames sprang to life. They must have washed up after the battle. Their clothes were not torn, their hair combed and their faces clean.

Ron cleared the dust off his bed by hand and he and Hermione sat down across from Harry and Ginny.

"I think the best phrase for this moment is that it's the first day of the rest of our lives." Hermione said softly. Ron nodded fervently and Ginny shrugged. Harry just sat there, feeling the weight of the world lift from his shoulders. Hermione knew, of course, exactly what to say all the time. It was a new start. But first, he had a question for her.

"Hermione, since we, erm, well in case you hadn't noticed, we missed a year at Hogwarts. Are we going to have to make it up?" He asked, and Hermione laughed.

"Well, Harry, that depends. Do you want to graduate or not? I know I'm going back. I've worked too hard not to speak at graduation!" She reached over and grabbed his hand. "well?" She asked him. Her eyes searched his face and he looked away.

"I was told, promised really, that I would have seven years here. I think I'll make the most of that. Ron?" He turned to face his best friend. Ron shook his head.

"What are you, daft? If you're both here there's nothing for me to do! Plus, with old Snape gone, I might enjoy all of my classes. Or did I just jinx that?" He shook his head. "well, now we'll be in Ginny's class. But most of our class will have to repeat since they missed quite a bit of it too….Neville, Dean-and Malfoy. He might just go though. I hope so." He glared at the floor.

"Hmmm. I never thought of that. I mean, I knew Dean and Neville might come back but I never even thought of Malfoy. I suppose he will. There's really nothing for him now, and he'll always be associated with the bad guys, so he has to finish his education." Hermione added.

"Strange. I thought it would be the opposite," Ginny piped up. "wouldn't he avoid going out in public as much as possible for the time being? He's not exactly going to be welcomed by anyone…" She shrugged.

"Well that's it, isn't it? He needs something to give him credit in the world, doesn't he? It will be better that he graduates. Otherwise he can just add 'dropout' to his long list of failures." Ron interjected. "I know it's just about the worst thing that could happen, but we've dealt with it before." They all sat there for a moment, no one speaking.

Finally, Hermione got up, stretching her arms up over her head.

"well, its pretty late. I'm going to go to bed now." She leaned down and kissed Ron quickly on the cheek and hugged Harry. Ginny followed behind her after giving Harry a quick kiss. Finally, only Harry and Ron were left alone.

"Well mate, I'm pretty tired myself. Helping you bring down the baddest wizard of all time was fun but it can take a lot out of you. See you in the morning." Ron climbed under the covers fully clothed. Harry gave a short, forced laugh.

"Tell me about it. Dieing isn't that cool either, in case you're wondering." He replied.

"What? You actually died? Are you a cat or something? You didn't tell me that yet!" Ron's face was hard to read. It was a mix of offense and awe and humor.

"Well, It's only been a couple of hours since I died. Barely a day Ron! You Can't expect me to have filled you in completely yet." Harry got under his blankets too. "Can't we just talk about this in the morning?"

"Fine. don't get offended! I was joking." Ron rolled over. Minutes later Harry heard his snores. He sat up in bed and looked around. The sandwiches lay forgotten on the nightstand. He reached for one and stuffed it into his mouth before vanishing the plate. He gulped down a glass of pumpkin juice before getting rid of that too. The fire still leaped around brightly. He extinguished it with a wave of his wand before laying down again.

Within seconds he was under the sweet spell of sleep once again. No dreams chased him anymore, no nightmares. When he woke up again, the sun was sparkling through the glass window and Ron's bed was empty. Harry stretched then walked down the stone steps to the common room. Hermione, Ron, and Neville were sitting around the fireplace, each with a different section of the prophet in their hands.

"Look at this one Neville! 'No conclusion has been made about the whereabouts of Tom Riddles body, but a trusted source has told us his body will lie in repose for all to see!' Isn't that just preposterous!" Hermione giggled. Ron leaned over and read the byline.

"Of course, it's not, true! Skeeter wrote it! Has she ever written anything true in her life?" Ron said.

"Yes, she did actually-" Hermione started to say but Neville cut across her.

"Other than an article that you literally forced her to write. Look at this article-'Harry Potter named wizard of the decade by Witch Weekly Magazine!' Already?"

Harry watched them pass around the articles for a while before going down the last few steps. He stood behind Ron's chair and leaned down to see the front page which Ron had left on the arm of his chair.

VOLDEMORT GONE, HAPPY TIMES ARE HERE AGAIN

Below that, a smaller title read:

POTTER PREVAILS AGAIN

Hermione's section had the statistics-109 killed, 51 of which were on their side. The rest were various death eaters, even one giant. Names were listed for loved ones to find. Many people would be getting the shock of their lives this morning, or had they already? Maybe the Prophet had notified the families already. Harry deeply hoped so. There were a few pictures at the bottom of those too disfigured to identify, or those who had no identification on them. Their wands must have been taken away from them.

Harry shuddered for what seemed like the thousandth time in just 3 days. There wasn't a thing in the paper that wasn't about the battle, or as another writer put it, 'The beginning of a new era'. There was even an article proposing that since Voldemort was gone, now was the time to show muggles that wizards exist

"Prophet still going strong then?" He said. Hermione jumped a bit; he had been silent up to this point.

"Oh Harry! You startled me. Well yes, the Prophet will make quite a Prophet off of this. Like Rita said- the Prophet exists to sell itself and that's just what's its doing with this." She said. "And there's quite a bit they can do with this. It's all speculation stories though Harry. Someone swore they saw you go in to apply for a job as Auror yesterday, about an hour after you defeated Voldemort, which we know of course, is far from the truth."

"Hey, speaking of you being an Auror Harry, are you still considering that?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged and sank into an armchair.

"Ron, I don't even know where I'm going to live this summer. And haven't we decided we're going back to school for another year?" Harry responded. Ron looked up and smiled.

"For some reason I was hoping that was forgotten…school isn't exactly my strong point. Maybe when we're done I can get a job as a Horcrux hunter!" He laughed and threw the Prophet aside. "Let's go, I'm hungry. The house-elves said they'd keep cooking!" He bounded off towards the stairs. Harry and Hermione followed, but Neville stayed behind to clean up the paper.

They walked down the hall towards the stairs next to each other, in a row.

"So where's Ginny right now anyway?" Harry asked. "I haven't seen her so far." Hermione shook her head.

"She's having a bit of a lie-in. She was up half the night crying her eyes out. It just hit her when she went to bed- it's finally all over. Things can be right again. She's lived all her life with the world whispering about Voldemorts supposed imminent return, then with him back, and now…it's over." Hermione sighed. "She was taking Fred so well. I can only interpret this as confusion about everything."

"Yeah, but she never lets people see her cry. This will pass by pretty soon, I'm sure. She'll be fine when she gets up. I swear, she always is." Ron said.

The stairs had been cleaned up overnight. The splintered wood was smooth as always, and there was no blood anywhere. The portraits were sewn up, and their inhabitants were dozing, occasionally mumbling something in their slumber.

It was as if there was never a battle. The marble staircase shone, and the entrance hall was clean, the doors flung wide open. Harry could see people outside, planting flowers, magicking away debris and smoothing out the lawn. The great hall was laid out with it's house tables and a few people were munching away at another delicious breakfast. Professor McGonagall was walking into the hall at the same time as them, and stopped Harry and the others.

"Potter, Weasley, Granger, may I have a quick word with you three?" She said politely.

"Erm sure professor." Harry replied. They followed her over to a corner.

"I wish to speak to you three about the continuance of your education. Since you missed a whole year, you will not receive your diplomas until you receive the equivalence of that education." She was very stern.

"Oh well, Professor, you won't believe this but we actually were just talking about that. We were wondering if we could return next year, as students. A few of us missed quite a bit of class last year, like Neville. He was wondering if he could stay back too." Hermione said. McGonagall looked at her sharply.

"I'm sure that could be arranged , There will be a bit to work out, such as your dormitories, but I suspect we have some room in other dormitories. Many a parent will not want their children here. They've realized how precious time with your family is. But I'm sure we can work something out. Thank you." She strode away, towards the staff table.

"Whew," Ron said. "For a moment I was back in first year, when we were late to our very first Transfiguration lesson!" Harry laughed with him and led the way to the Gryffindor table. It was out of habit that he sat there. He would always sit there, especially next year.

They were deep into their eggs when someone dropped into the seat across from them.

"Hello chums. I've come to say goodbye, I can't stay long." It was Percy. His eyes drooped and he still wore the same torn clothes from the previous night. "I'm officially resigning from the ministry today. I've decided upon a different career path."

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked the fatal question.

"I've decided to impart my knowledge upon the youth. I've taken up the post of muggle studies teacher here. There was an opening. Actually, there are quite a few. Defense against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Potions-"

"Wait-potions?" Harry cut in, dropping his fork.

"Well, yes Potions. Professor Slughorn has opted for retirement again. He's been quite shaken up by the events of this past year. He's an old man now Harry, you can't forget that." Percy said in his most pompous manner.

"If you say so. In case you haven't heard, we're continuing on here. We decided it's in our best interests to make up our final year here." Ron said before Percy could bore them any longer.

"Hmm. Perhaps you could convince George to do the same. He could use the distraction." Percy said. His eyes watered up again. "well I'm off. I have to tell mother the news. she'll be proud of me."

Percy swept off in the direction of the entrance hall. Harry shook his head.

"well, at least Percy's not going to change anytime soon. Can you imagine if he had taken up a class we actually took?" Ron said. "Our lives would have been a living hell!"

"Well, fate can be good to us sometimes if you hadn't noticed yet Ron." Harry said. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Harry felt a soft tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see the last person he expected standing there, all alone in torn robes.

"What do you want Draco? Apologies aren't going to go very far now. The Wizengamot will get their hands on you sooner or later, and you can't pretend to be a scared little boy anymore." Ron growled.

"Actually, I need your advice. On a very simple matter." Draco replied.

"what is it Draco?" Harry stood up slowly, as not to attract attention. Eyes had already followed Draco to where he stood in front of Harry.

"Should I go back to school, or apply as an Auror right away?"


	2. Chapter 2: Looking towards the future

"Did I hear that right?" Hermione said. The whole great hall was straining to hear what would happen next. The air was still, sweltering hot under the bright blue ceiling. Sound drifted in through the open doors at the other side of the hall. Ron put down his fork and stood up next to Harry.

"Nice joke Malfoy, but criminals can't legally join the Auror office. What do you really want?" He growled. Draco gulped down the lump rising in his throat. The day seemed awfully hot for a June morning.

"Erm, well I thought that it was time for me to make some changes Potter. Sometimes even I can humble myself." Draco said tentatively. His speech still retained some of it's pompousness. Harry still wasn't convinced that Draco would want to become law enforcement.

"Unfortunately Draco, very few wizards change for the better. I don't think you're one of those few. Maybe you're not on the bad side anymore, but there has to be something in this for you. So do you mind telling me what that reason is?" Harry glared at Malfoy. It was impossible that Draco might have changed his colors completely in a few short hours. Maybe terror had taken the pure evil out of him, but there was always something in it for Draco.

Draco took a step back. "So I guess I'm not going to get any advice? Or is that just it? There is nothing out there for me if you have anything to do with it? Famous, merciless Potter. That's what you should be known as." There air in the room seemed to get thicker. Malfoy had just said the wrong thing. A few of the people in the hall stepped forward, threatening looks on their faces. Harry looked around and shook his head at them.

"Malfoy, do you really want to do this here? In front of everyone? Just go home. And you know what, I will give you some advice. Go back to Hogwarts next year. You'll be just as hated here as anywhere else." With that he turned around and sat back down. Ron stayed standing for a moment before giving Malfoy a dismissive nod and glare and sitting with Harry. Draco took a deep breath then walked away, the eyes of everyone in the great hall on him. He crossed to the door and disappeared out of sight.

"Seriously though, was that a joke?' Ron said, breaking the spell of silence in the hall. "He couldn't have been serious. He knows that he would never be allowed to be a dark wizard catcher; he'd have to turn himself in!" Hermione laughed darkly.

"That may be Ron, but there is definitely something going on with Draco. His mum and dad already left. Why did he stay? It can't have been to ask Harry a question like that." Hermione said, staring at her empty plate, her brows knitted together.

"What Hermione, you think he's up to something, do you? I thought we were done with all the Malfoy drama!" Harry said, exasperated. "Plus, you're the one that always say that we can't assume Malfoy's up to something."

"Well you saw what just happened! He was acting strange. Malfoy never acts humble in any way!" She stood up. "I'm going to go outside. Meet me out there, we need to talk about our plans for this summer." She walked off, leaving Harry and Ron.

"She must really think he's up to no good. Hermione never gets mad…" Ron said, piling some kippers onto his plate. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You've got to be kidding. Hermione has a bit of a temper. You do remember when she attacked you, don't you?"

"Well…never mind Harry. Have you thought about your plans for this summer?" Ron steered the conversation away from Hermione. "I was hoping we could take it easy. Maybe stay home and just…do nothing really."

"Ha! I wish. I can just imagine all the things I'll have to do. I was hoping we could help out here at Hogwarts, restoring things, making things right. It's just," Harry sighed. "Before the battle, there was enough stuff from the media coming out, interviews, lies, whatever. Now they'll follow me everywhere, wanting to know every little detail."

Ron shook his head sympathetically. He out down his fork and pushed his plate away.

"All I know is that the last thing we want to do is get Hermione angrier by making her wait. Let's go." He swung his legs over the bench and Harry followed him.

Outside, the sky was the same shade blue as the ceiling of the great hall. Lazy clouds floated overhead, pushed by a gentle breeze. The air was thick and heavy, typical for a summer's day. The grounds were now clear of any signs of the battle, and many people were enjoying the day. It was strange to think things could be okay, but as Ginny had said, there would be time to mourn later.

They spotted Hermione standing by the water's edge next to George. His arms were crossed, and he was looking down into the calm waters.

"It's okay, it's okay" Hermione was saying, her hand on his shoulder. George shook her hand off his shoulder.

"I've got to go Hermione. I'm opening up the shop for this weekend. I have a feeling it's going to be pretty busy now." He turned from the lake and rubbed at his eyes. He saw Harry and Ron coming towards him and nodded before striding off towards the tall gates to Hogsmeade. Hermione turned and saw them.

"Hey," She said, biting her lip. "I came out here and saw him, and it was just…I don't think I've ever seen George crying. Not even when Dumbledore died." She traced a circle with the toe of her shoe in the dirt. Ron put a hand on her shoulder.

"I know Hermione. But George is strong. By the end of the month he'll have a girlfriend or something to make him feel better. Unless he really gets married to the shop by then." He shook his head. "Anyway, I thought you wanted to talk about out summer plans?" He asked expectantly.

"Yeah Hermione. Or would you rather just tell us what we're doing?" Harry joked. Hermione's eyes flashed.

"As a matter of fact Harry, I have no plans so far. I would have liked to help out here, but honestly, look around. There won't be anything left to do pretty soon. We can help for the time being but there will be quite a bit of free time left."

Harry sighed. Although he already knew it wouldn't take long to fix Hogwarts, he had still hoped it could be his big project. Hermione cut into his musings.

"Although I'd rather not bring it up…we have a fair few funerals we have to attend this summer." Ron stepped back a bit and looked up towards the sky. He was obviously not looking forward to this conversation.

"actually, I had a question Hermione. What do you think will be done with Voldemort? It's not like he'll be buried…will he?" Harry said. Hermione's eyebrows knitted for a second.

"I have no idea Harry, though I'd love to see him get buried with his father's family. It would serve him right." Hermione's voice got very low towards the end. "I just know he won't though. His family was buried in a Christian cemetery, right? No matter what we believe, he won't be buried in hallowed ground."

Harry walked towards the water, and kicked at a wave. The three just stood there for a moment, no one speaking. After a few minutes, They heard someone walking towards them.

"Hello, Harry, Hermione, Ron." Kingsley's deep voice boomed out there names. "Harry, I've been meaning to speak with you. I just got in from the ministry, and there's some questions we needed to ask you." Harry was expecting this. There were always some questions. But as it was Kingsley, he just said, "Go ahead."

"What was the mission Dumbledore had you go on last year?" Kingsley asked cautiously.

Harry's eyes widened. He looked at Ron and Hermione, who both looked at each other and exchanged a look. Hermione turned back to him and gave him a slight nod.

"Well Kingsley, you were there when I fought him, right?" Kingsley nodded. "Did you hear when I said 'All the Horcruxes are gone'?" Kingsley nodded again. Harry took a deep breath before continuing.

"When Tom Riddle was a student at Hogwarts, he learned of something called a Horcrux." Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"A Horcrux is an object you conceal a piece of your soul in," Hermione said. "You make one by tearing your soul apart. To rip your soul, you have to murder. Then, with an incantation, you put the piece of your soul in the object. Even if your mortal body dies, your soul isn't harmed. When you have a Horcrux though, you can come back to life. The point of a Horcrux is to…well, if you have a Horcrux, and it remains undamaged, you can never truly die." Kingsley was taken aback. He opened his mouth to speak, but Harry began first.

"Well, Voldemort thought that one wasn't enough. He made seven." At this, the look on Kingsley's face went beyond horrified. He looked sick. "His first was made from the diary I destroyed in my second year. He killed his father and grandparents to create it. Voldemort always thought he was above all other though, so although he killed many, he only made Horcruxes after important murders. He was going to make his last after he killed me."

Kingsley took a deep breath and steeled himself for the next part. Harry paced back and forth a bit.

"He had made 5 at that point, out of the most important objects to him. His diary, Hufflepuffs cup, The lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, his Grandfathers ring, and Slytherins locket. He wanted one from each of the Hogwarts founders. Dumbledore told me that there's only one artifact from Gryffindor-the sword. Voldemort couldn't get that. Eventually, he decided to make Nagini the final Horcrux. We were searching for the Horcruxes all summer Kingsley. We found all of them before we came to Hogwarts, everything except for the diadem and the snake. We found the diadem, and later Neville killed the snake."

"Whooo…and Dumbledore told you to do all this?" Kingsley asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, before he died. Kingsley…I'd rather tell you this before the media gets a hold of it. I've already told Ron and Hermione. I was technically Voldemort's seventh Horcrux." He looked to see Kingsley's reaction, fearing the worst. Instead he looked up to see Kingsley shrugging.

"It makes sense Harry. You were uncannily like him. But…that part, the part of you that was him is gone now?" Harry nodded once. Kingsley gulped down a lump in his throat.

"Good then. I am also supposed to ask you what happened in the forest. Before they came out saying you were dead."

"I went in there, and Voldemort pointed his wand at me. I could barely hear the Avada Kedavra over the whoosh of the spell. And then," Harry hesitated. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione about Dumbledore. "Then I was out of it for a few minutes. Not really dead, but not really here. He sent Narcissa Malfoy to see if I was really dead. She told them I was in exchange for the information that Draco was still alive. Then, he crucioed me-" Kingsley winced. "And forced Hagrid to carry me out. And you know from there." Harry let out his breath slowly. Kingsley nodded.

"Thank you Harry. That had to have been hard. I'll let you know if I need anything else. Just know you can come to me whenever you need."

"I had a question for you actually," Harry said, turning to face the glassy waters of the lake again. "What is going to be done with Voldemort's body now?"

Kingsley just stood there for a moment. He shook his head slowly.

"What do you mean Harry?" Kingsley seemed confused. Harry was even more so confused at this response.

"It's pretty straight forward Kingsley. What is the ministry planning on doing with Voldemort's body? They're not planning on burying it anywhere, are they?" Harry asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh Harry…you haven't heard?" Kingsley looked up at the sky. He took a step closer to Harry. "Last night, after you went up to bed…well, some very bereaved family took his body into the forbidden forest and set it on fire. There really is no body anymore." Hermione gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Ron' eyes went wide.

"Really? Who did it?" Ron asked. Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "Not that it really matters, I just want to know."

"It was a few people, not just one family. Names are unknown at this point, but I don't expect they'll be arrested, or brought to trial even." Kingsley said, turning away. "Well, if there's nothing else, I have to get back to the ministry. We're doing a quick swearing in ceremony then the trials start." He sighed. "we still have so much to do."

He walked away the same way George had, his shoulders straight. If anyone would be a fair judge, it was Kingsley. They started to walk around the perimeter of the lake quietly. After a minute, Ron gave a quick bark of laughter.

"Ha! Maybe that's what we can do this summer-testify at the trials of death eaters!" He turned to Harry and Hermione with a smile on his face. Hermione looked surprised at his comment and Harry's face was turned away.

"What's wrong guys? It's not only for revenge, you know some innocent people might get accused. Like with Bagman, remember?" Ron sounded hopeful, trying to dig himself out of the hole. Harry was still horrified. Before he could voice his opinion though, Hermione spoke up.

"Hmm…I suppose you're right Ronald. Maybe, if we're against condemning people, we could speak on behalf of those we think ought not to be sent to Azkaban." She turned to Harry. "What do you think?"

"Honestly? I'd rather not have anything to do with the trials, but I guess if we could save a few innocent lives it's worth it. We might not even have to go to the trials. They probably won't start until the school year, and then we'll have to be here." He reassured himself. "Yeah, Kingsley can just ask us our opinion on people. No going into London at all."

"Well, we do have to go to Diagon alley. I don't know about you two, but I got rid of quite a few of my Hogwarts things last summer." Hermione said, smiling. "I can't wait to see how lively it will be! Oh and there's one more thing we need to resolve. Where are we staying this summer?"

Harry bit his lip. He realized, with that simple question, that he had quite a bit to do. Firstly, he wanted to find the Dursleys and work some things out. He found that he didn't want to be cut off completely from any of them. Except aunt Marge maybe, but he could avoid her now. When he told this to Ron and Hermione, they laughed.

"Yes, I suppose you should talk to them. And I think I'm going to find my mum and dad and lift the memory charm. And Ron…well, you should probably do some studying while we're gone. I'm betting you forgot a bit over the last year." Hermione giggled and Ron's eyes flashed, but then he laughed.

"Fine, poke fun at me. But I was hoping we could spend some time at the burrow this summer, like we used to. We may be adults now, but It's been a while since my mother cooked for me and I could really go for some of her pumpkin pasties right now!" Harry and Hermione laughed along with him. They hadn't really found anything to laugh about since the great heist of Gringotts.

"So, do you think they'll find anything to call us out on? I Bet that people aren't going to be too happy about the destruction we've caused all over the country…" Ron said.

"Yeah, those goblins at Gringotts probably didn't have as much fun with it as we did. I'll probably have to pay for that." Harry commented.

"Nah, they can just take it out of the Lestrange's vault…I don't think there are any left. Bellatrix died and Rudolphus wasn't looking very good after the Order was done with him." Ron said. "I think I'll write a book about this, and get rich."

"Still Ron?" Hermione said. "That's all you're thinking of is how to make money?"

"No, I was just thinking I should get to it before Skeeter does, make us sound a little less Psychotic." Ron said quickly. Harry smiled.

"He's got a point there. We did do some pretty crazy things this year. Most of which I am not proud of. Except for getting rid of those Horcruxes. And Ron?" Harry said. "Can you set the record straight about Snape? Who knows what people are thinking about him right now."

"Probably that he never got a chance to wash his hair in his entire life." Said a voice from behind them. Ginny pushed Ron aside a bit and placed her hand in Harry's.

"You slept a bit, didn't you?" Harry said, teasing her.

"It's not my fault! You're the one who started the battle to end all battles if I remember correctly!" She snapped back. Hermione raised an eyebrow and Ron shot Harry a frightened look.

"are you okay Ginny?" Harry asked her. She took her hand from his and crossed her arms.

"What? I was joking!" She said. Then she rolled her eyes. "You guys are just expecting something to go wrong, aren't you?" She took Harry's hand again.

Harry looked across the lake. They were almost to the other side now, on the opposite side from the school. People were leaving the school and walking down the path that led to Hogsmeade, others were milling about, talking.

"So, when I went into the great hall for breakfast, Lee told me what happened with Malfoy." Ginny spoke up. "I swear, the Malfoy's are probably already coming up with another evil scheme. When aren't they?"

"I don't think so. Not yet anyways." Hermione said. "What would they be aiming for now? There's no way that they'll find a way to keep out of prison. At this rate Azkaban should have a cell waiting for Lucius." Ron shook his head.

"I don't agree Hermione. The Malfoys always have a goal in mind, and something that they're aiming for. And most of the time, they get it. Even if no one can see what they're doing, they're doing something. And it's never, ever good." He said. It made sense to Harry. He had never seen any of the Malfoys do anything that wasn't ultimately for their own good.

"Well, we'll come to that problem when it arises. For now, I think I'm going to start planning my trip to Australia." Hermione said, then picked up her pace. "Come on everyone! We have a lot to do, and I think we should get started now!"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And why is she going to Australia?" She asked Harry and Ron as they started to walk faster to catch up with Hermione.

"She wants to get her parents back and lift the memory charm," Harry said, and Ginny nodded. "And while we're on the subject, I've got to go to the Dursleys, and get some things settled." Ginny smiled.

"Mind if I come? I'll have nothing to do. He'll," She said glancing at Ron "Follow Hermione to Australia, so I won't even have him around. And I can't start to imagine what mum will be like. I want to not be there for a bit."

"Why not?" Harry said. "Your mum will need someone there. The house will be pretty empty for a bit-"

"Oh no it won't!" Ginny said darkly. "She's offered to take in Little Teddy Lupin. Tonk's mom lost it when she heard…well, you know." Harry frowned. Just like Voldemort to still be causing problems, ruining families.

"Harry? Are you okay? It's just for the summer. Don't you want to see your godson?" Ginny said, a concerned look on her face.

"Of course I do. I was just thinking about how Voldemort is still causing problems." He turned his face away. It was turning red.

"Well, it's better this way than if he had won." Ginny told him. He looked around at her. He sighed and shrugged.

"I knew that. How could I not? But that doesn't make me feel any different. Now Andromeda had no family. Except for Narcissa, but we all know that she's not…she doesn't count." Harry said. He look towards the castle. They were nearly back. He saw Neville standing right outside of the doors, stretching. Neville saw them and smiled.

When they reached Neville, there was something about him, an inexpressible happiness surrounding him.

"Hey Neville. What's up?" Ron asked, sensing the same thing Harry had. Neville's smile got wider, somehow.

"Oh, it's just a beautiful day. And I have some good news. My grandmother's just been to Saint Mungo's- apparently my parent's showed signs of recognition and happiness when they heard all the news, and when they heard Bellatrix was dead…" He stopped short. Harry motioned for him to go on.

"Well, it's like that broke a spell! They're doing a lot better now! They're obviously not what they used to be, but they're better!" Neville practically shouted. Harry blinked. Was it possible? The last time that he had seen Neville's parents, there seemed to be no way that they would get better.

"Some healer said that the main thing holding them back before had been fear, but they weren't sure how to get rid of it." Neville continued. Hermione beamed at him, and Ron clapped him on the shoulder. Ginny smiled up at Harry. Harry's face broke out into a smile as big as Neville's.

"That's great!" He exclaimed. It was like an answer to his thoughts moments before, even though there would be bad, there was also the wonderful.

As everyone was congratulating Neville, Harry was reminded of the first part of his realization when the Malfoys walked out of the castle in a huddle. He locked eyes with Draco as they fled from the grounds towards Hogsmeade.

There would be the bad.


End file.
